After 23-victory season, KC Roos women take exception to this year’s preseason ranking
A new coach and no returning starters equated to a sixth-place forecast for the KC Roos women’s basketball team in the preseason Summit League poll.
Count Kansas City forward E’Lease Stafford among those who took exception to the news.
“They don’t know what’s coming,” Stafford said. “I took it very personally. As a team, finishing sixth, not top three? Hmm ... We ain’t having that.”
New coach Dionnah Jackson-Durrett has to love that sort of spirit from a team that finished third in the Summit last season at 12-6 behind South Dakota and South Dakota State. The Roos went 23-9 overall, falling in the semifinal round of the league tournament and first round of the NIT.
Coach Jacie Hoyt was hired away by Oklahoma State, opening the door for Jackson-Durrett, who had spent the previous two seasons as the associate head coach at Texas and five years at Mississippi State before that.
The Roos bring back seven players, including three who were part of the playing rotation in 2021-22: RaVon Nero, Sanaa’ St. Andre and Dani Winslow. Nero averaged 6.9 points, St. Andre 1.3 assists and Winslow 4.1 rebounds.
Transfers like Stafford and other newcomers fill the roster. Stafford, an All-Sunflower League selection from Lawrence High, returns to the area after her college career path took her to East Tennessee State and Utah State.
Last year, with the Aggies of the Mountain West Conference, she averaged 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds.
“It was time to come home,” Stafford said.
Jackson-Durrett said defense will be the team’s calling card. The Roos were offensive-minded a year ago, finishing second in the Summit at 71.6 points per game.
“Every day, defense,” Jackson-Durrett said. “That’s what we’ll hang our hat on. Our focus is on being a little different in the Summit League, and if we bring our style of defense to the league it opens the door and allows us to climb that ladder.
“From sixth, to third, to two to one. That’s the step we have to take.”
Jackson-Durrett said the plan is to apply pressure for 40 minutes.
“I don’t think a lot of teams in the Summit are doing that,” she said.
KC Roos’ 2022-23 women’s basketball schedule:
Home games played at the Swinney Center
October — 30: vs. Pittsburg State (exhibition).
November — 7 vs. Westminster; 11 vs. Tennessee State; 13 vs. UTEP; 17 vs. Utah Tech; 22 at Santa Clara; 26 at Arkansas State; 29 at Bradley.
December — 3 at Grand Canyon; 7 at Kansas State; 11 at Wyoming; 15 vs. Bellevue; 19 at South Dakota; 21 at South Dakota St.; 29 vs. Denver; Dec. 31 vs. Omaha.
January — 7 vs. Oral Roberts; 12 at St. Thomas; 14 at Western Illinois; 19 vs. North Dakota; 21 vs. North Dakota St.; 26 at Omaha; Jan. 28 at Denver.
February — 4 at Oral Roberts; 9 vs. Western Illinois; 11 vs. St. Thomas; 16 at North Dakota St.; 18 at North Dakota; 23 vs. South Dakota St.; 25 vs. South Dakota.
March — 3-7 Summit League Championship tournament.
This story was originally published October 24, 2022 at 3:57 PM.